If you’re in the market for a new gaming computer and you want to go with a prebuilt system, in this guide, we’ve compared seven of the best prebuilt gaming PCs at various price-points to help you find the right option for your budget.
In my opinion, you’re always going to get more bang for your buck if you build your own system. And, if you are willing to take on the task of building your own PC, I recommend checking out our affordable PC build guide, or our high-end PC build guide for recommendations on part lists at various budgets.
However, if you’re not up for building your system and you just want to get a prebuilt gaming PC, in this guide, we’ve rated nine different options you have at a variety of price points. All of these options can be found on Amazon, but if you want a more customized system than the options listed below, check out our guide on the Best Custom PC Builders.
Table of Contents
– Quick-Look: The Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs
1. Extreme Pick: CUK Continuum
3. Value Pick: Skytech Chronos
A Quick Look at the Best Prebuilt Gaming Computers
As a quick-look view at four of our top picks for the best prebuilt gaming computers, we’ve made selections for the best extreme system, the best high-end option, the best value option, the best budget-friendly gaming PC, and the best small form-factor option.
|
|
NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
EXTREME
|
 |
CUK Continuum |
|
/10 | |
|
HIGH-END
|
 |
CUK Mantis |
|
/10 | |
|
VALUE
|
 |
Skytech Chronos |
|
/10 | |
|
BUDGET
|
 |
iBUYPOWER Element |
|
/10 | |
|
MINI
|
 |
MSI MEG Trident |
|
/10 |
*For more information on the computers above, click the “Read Review »” link and you will skip to our overview of that PC. To see our Honorable Mention picks, keep scrolling down.
1. CUK Continuum Gaming PC
Best extreme prebuilt gaming PC
If you have an extreme budget and you want to get a gaming computer that can handle anything you throw at, you might want to check out CUK’s Continuum Micro Gamer PC desktop. It comes with a brand new powerful RTX 3090 24GB graphics card as well as an Intel Core i9-10900K ten-core CPU. It also sports 64GB of DDR4 memory, a 1TB SSD, and an 850-watt Gold power supply.
The CUK Continuum also comes with an AIO cooler, plenty of RGB lights, and a tempered glass case.
In terms of performance, the 3090 and i9-10900K combination are good enough to jump into 4K gaming or to push games on a 1440P 144Hz+ gaming monitor. If you’re just looking to play games on a 1080P monitor, though, you could easily get away with spending a lot less as even the budget-friendly Skytech Chronos or iBUYPOWER Element desktops listed below should be able to max out most games at 1080P resolution.
Ultimately, though, the Continuum desktop from CUK is one of only a few options out there that comes with both an RTX 3090 graphics card and an Intel Core i9-10900K processor.
If you want to build a gaming PC that will offer similar performance to this pre-built desktop, check out our $2,000 Gaming PC Build. For a more mobile option, check out our guide on the best RTX 2080 laptops.
2. CUK Mantis Gaming Desktop
A high-end prebuilt gaming PC
If you want to save a little bit of money and still be able to play games on a higher resolution monitor (like a 4K gaming monitor) or even on a 240Hz monitor, the CUK Mantis desktop should also get the job done for you.
The CUK Mantis comes with the following core components: a tenth generation Intel Core i9-10900F processor, an RTX 3080 10GB graphics card, and 32GB of DDR4 memory. While the Mantis doesn’t come with a higher-end RTX 3090 GPU like the CUK Continuum listed above, the RTX 3080 that it does come with will still be powerful enough to game at 1440P or 4K with higher framerates.
And, the Mantis comes in at a significantly lower price than the Continuum.
This system also comes with a 512GB SSD & 2TB HDD combination, and an AIO cooler as well.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for the best gaming desktop under $3,000, this is definitely an option you’ll want to consider.
And, for a comparable PC build, check out our $1,750 PC build. To see our recommendations for similarly-priced gaming laptops, check out our guide on the best RTX 2070 laptops.
3. Skytech Chronos Gaming PC
Best prebuilt gaming desktop under $1,000
For our best value option, we chose the Skytech Chronos because of the hardware it comes with and the price it comes in at. For just under $1,500 you get a PC that has the following components: an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor, an RTX 2070 Super 8GB GPU, and 16GB of DDR4 memory. That combination is good enough to be able to jump into 4K gaming as well as max out anything on a 1080P monitor.
This system also comes with a 1TB SSD, a 650-watt power supply, and a mid tower tempered glass case that has a full-length PSU shroud in it.
Ultimately, if you don’t want to pay over $1,500 on a new gaming computer, the Skytech Chronos offers a nice balance between price and performance. This system will still be able to max out anything you throw at it with no problems.
You can check out our $1,000 Gaming PC Build for a DIY option that will perform similarly. Or, if you’re considering a laptop as well, our guide on the best RTX 2060 laptops will help you find some similarly priced options.
4. iBUYPOWER Element 9260
Budget-friendly prebuilt gaming PC
- Intel Core i7-9700F
- NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM
- 240GB Solid State Drive
If you’re looking for the best affordable prebuilt gaming PC, for just under $850 you can land the fairly powerful iBUYPOWER Element 9260. The iBUYPOWER Element 9260 comes with an Intel Core i7-9700F CPU, an NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti 6GB graphics card, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 500-watt power supply, a 240GB SSD, and a 1TB HDD.
This system is by no means capable of running games at 4K, but for 1080P gaming, this system will be able to max out pretty much anything you throw at it. And, because it has an NVIDIA GPU in it, you can pair it with an affordable 144Hz monitor with GSync for an ultra smooth in-game experience.
The system also comes with RGB lights and a nice-looking case that has a transparent side panel.
Overall, for the price that this system comes in at and the performance it is able to deliver, it offers a phenomenal value for gamers that are looking for a solid desktop for 1080P gaming.
If you’re willing to build your own system, you can check out our $600 gaming PC build for a similar performing DIY option.
5. MSI MEG Trident Mini
Best mini prebuilt gaming desktop
The MSI MEG Trident might be a better fit for you if you want to get a small form-factor gaming PC. This mini gaming desktop comes with the following components: an Intel Core i7-10700K CPU, an NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super GPU, 32GB of DDR4 memory, and a 1TB SSD.
So, despite its smaller size, it is still able to fit a powerful RTX 2070 Super inside of it. And, it also features a new 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10700K processor. The combination of the 10700K CPU and the 2070 Super GPU will be good enough to max out any game on a 1440P monitor.
The MSI MEG Trident does come in at ~$2,200, though, so if you don’t need a compact system, I’d recommend saving some money to get the Skytech Chronos listed above. However, if you like the smaller form factor that the MSI MEG Trident comes with, then this is one of the best mini gaming PCs out there right now.
6. Skytech Prism II Gaming PC
Honorable mention #1
At right at ~$4,200, the Skytech Prism II is a slightly more expensive pick to our extreme pick, the CUK Continuum.
Like the CUK Continuum, Skytech’s Prism II desktop comes with extreme hardware. However, the Skytech Prism II opts for a AMD Ryzen 9 3950X CPU, instead of the Intel Core i9-10900K that come in the CUK Continuum.
While both processors are excellent options, the Ryzen 9 3950X will offer better performance in multi-threaded applications. However, for purely gaming purposes, the two CPUs will perform similarly. So, if your main concern is gaming, you could opt for the slightly cheaper CUK Continuum instead and save some money.
Just like with the CUK Continuum, you’ll want to pair this system with a G-Sync monitor for an incredibly smooth in-game experience. In terms of storage, the Prism II does come with the same size SSD (1TB) as the Contiuum.
It also comes with 64GB of memory, a cube-style case with tempered glass side panels and RGB lighting, and an 850-watt power supply.
The bottom line is that, both the Skytech Prism II and the CUK Continuum are excellent options. However, if you want to save ~$200 and you don’t mind sacrificing a little bit of multi-threaded CPU performance, then the CUK Continuum gaming PC listed above is probably the best option for you. If you need the extra performance in multi-threaded applications, then this extreme prebuilt gaming PC from Skytech would be the option to go with.
7. HP Omen Gaming PC
Honorable mention #2
- Intel Core i9-9900K
- NVIDIA RTX 2080 SUPER
- 32GB of DDR4 RAM
- 1TB Solid State Drive
Another high-end option that won’t quite cost as much as the CUK Mantis listed above, is this HP Omen gaming desktop.
This HP Omen system doesn’t have the newest generation of hardware in it, but it does contain the both a powerful 9th generation CPU (i9-9900K) and an extreme RTX 2080 Super graphics card.
That CPU-GPU combination will be powerful enough to run any game you throw at it on max settings with no problems, whether you’re playing on a 4K monitor or a 1440P 144Hz display.
This system also comes with 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an 850-watt power supply.
Ultimately, though, while this system won’t match the performance of our top two options (the CUK Continuum and the CUK Mantis) it will still offer extreme gaming performance for quite a bit lower of a price.
8. CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme
Honorable mention #3
Next, we have the CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme. The CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme is another budget-friendly pre-built desktop PC. So, if you want another option to consider alongside the iBUYPOWER Element or Skytech Chronos, this one fits the bill.
The CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme comes with these components: an Intel Core i5-10400F processor, an NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super 6GB graphics card, 8GB of DDR4 memory, and a 500GB SSD.
In terms of gaming performance, the combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F CPU and the GTX 1660 Super GPU should be powerful enough to handle any game on a budget-friendly 1080P monitor, or, even on a higher resolution 1440P monitor. In fact, this system will perform similarly to the iBUYPOWER Element in most games, despite being ~$150 less expensive.
Ultimately, though, either the CyberpowerPC Xtreme or the iBUYPOWER Element are worthy options to consider if you’re looking for a cheap desktop that can handle any game you throw at it. If you’re just looking to play at 1080P resolution, both options will work well.
9. ZOTAC Mek Mini Gaming PC
Honorable mention #4
If you want to get a mini gaming PC, but you don’t want to spend over $2,000 on the MSI MEG Trident, then the ZOTAC Mek Mini might be a better option for you.
It won’t offer nearly as much performance as the MSI MEG Trident, but with an Intel Core i5-9400F CPU, an NVIDIA RTX 2060 GPU, and 16GB of memory, it will anything you throw at it with no problems.
And, it costs nearly ~$900 less than the MSI MEG Trident, too. Of course, though, for the same price you can get the Skytech Chronos, which, while it isn’t a mini desktop, it has a better CPU and GPU.
In the end, though, if you’re set on getting a compact desktop, but you don’t want to spend the amount it will take to get the MSI MEG Trident, the ZOTAC Mek Mini gaming desktop is probably the next best option for you.
Should You Get A Prebuilt Gaming PC? Or, Build Your Own PC?
There will always be a case to be made for choosing to build your own PC over buying one prebuilt. However, not everyone wants to go through the process of building their own computer. And, if you want a prebuilt gaming PC that can be shipped to you and up and running as quickly as possible, then one of the desktops listed above is probably the best option for you. In this guide, we’ve given you seven of the best prebuilt gaming desktops at various price points to choose between and, depending on your budget and needs, one of them should work for you.
SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE!
Donna says
My son is wanting a gaming PC and I am on a tight budget. What do you recommend to start with?
Logan says
Buy an Optiplex with intergrated graphics, it costs around 350 to get one with 16 gb of ram and a 2tb hdd. I got a PC like that and added an R7 240 to the build and it runs pretty decent, but be warned that it’s small form factor.
Rush says
This should be corrected in your review . The SkyTech Omega Gaming Computer PC Desktop is NOT a 2080 TI but rather a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8G
Daniel Bailey says
what about the asus rog strix i7 9700k liquid cooled with an rtx2080
Maya says
What is the best gaming pc for a child? I need the easiest and cheapest route:)
Jason says
Hi,
Would the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme (budget PC) be able to run overwatch at 1440P, 144hz/144fps
Mike says
I feel like the NZXT bld service is a pretty good deal.
Aldo says
Hello!
I recently found this site and I love it, great job and very informative.
I have two quick questions for you. I really like the Skytech Beast option except for the part that I need 16GB of RAM to play some of the newer titles that I want. I am by no means a computer expert and in truth I am hesitant to try to build my own PC due to both my lack of time and experience. Thus, Could you recommend the additional 8GB RAM card (Link, for example) so that I can have everything on hand? It should be easy to install, right?
Second, I see that the honorable mention, ZOTAC GAMING MEK1 is at 1200, perhaps I should go for that instead?
A bonus question, if you allow me, should I wait until black friday/cyber monday? I’m planning to, to see if there are good deals, but 400 bucks for the MEK1 is nothing to scoff at. I’m interested in hearing your opinion, if you have the time.
I appreciate your help